ACTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS · 19th century there arose the need for a reflection on...

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Vatican CityFebruary 25-26, 2016

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ACTS OF THEINTERNATIONAL CONGRESS

LOVE NEVER FAILSPerspectives 10 years after the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est

LOVE NEVER FAILS Perspectives 10 years after the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est

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Pontifical Council Cor Unum - Introduction p. 5

Audience with Pope Francis p. 9 Holy Father’s Address Secretary’s address to the Holy Father

Programme p. 15

Welcome address p. 19 Msgr. Giampietro Dal Toso

Deus Caritas Est: Love and Truth Create a New World p. 25 H.E. Card. Gerhard Ludwig Müller

The Encyclical Deus Caritas Est: Challenges for Catholic Charitable Organizations p. 37 Dr. Michael Thio

The Jewish Perspective on Biblical Love p. 47 Rabbi David Shlomo Rosen

The Muslim Perspective of Mercy p. 57 Prof. Saeed Ahmed Khan

The Christian Message of Charity: New Insights for Modern Man p. 67 Prof. Fabrice Hadjadj

The Ongoing Relevance of Deus Caritas Est for the Church’s Service of Charity p. 81 H.E. Card. Luis Antonio G. Tagle

Pontifical CouncilCor Unum

Palazzo San Pio XVia della Conciliazione, 5V-00120 Vatican City

Tel.: + 39.06.69889411 Fax: + 39.06.69.88.11.62www.corunumjubilaeum.vaemail: [email protected]

Cover Image: Gift of the Mantle, Giotto, fresco, (ca. 1295-99).Archivio fotografico del Sacro Convento di San Francesco in Assisi

Photo credit:Osservatore RomanoCristian Gennari


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Guidelines of Christian Anthropology for the Church’s Service of Charity in Light of the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est p. 91 Prof. Fr. Paolo Asolan

The Encyclical Deus Caritas Est: Perspectives for a Theology of Charity p. 105 Prof. Rainer Gehrig

Testimonies p. 127 Marina Almeida Costa, Caritas Cabo Verde Roy Moussalli, Syrian Society for Social Development Alejandro Marius, Asociación Civil Trabajo y Persona Eduardo M. Almeida, Inter-American Development Bank

Final remarks p. 157 Msgr. Giampietro Dal Toso

Eucharistic Concelebrations - Homilies p. 165 H.E. Card. Paul Josef Cordes, February 25, 2016 H.E. Card. Robert Sarah, February 26, 2016

Meditations p. 173 Rev. Francesco Giosuè Voltaggio

List of Participants p. 185

Established by Pope Paul VI in 1971,

the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, in the

words of Benedict XVI, is in charge of

directing and coordinating the organi-

zations and charitable initiatives of the

Catholic Church.

The Dicastery carries out diverse activ-

ities covering three main areas:

• To assist the Pope and be his instru-

ment for carrying out special initia-

tives in the field of humanitarian ac-

tions when disasters occur, or in the

field of integral human promotion;

• To encourage and coordinate the in-

itiatives of Catholic Aid Organizations

through the exchange of information

and by promoting cooperation;

• To foster the catechesis and theolo-

gy of charity.

In this context, The Encyclical Deus

Caritas Est, published on January 25,

2006, is a magisterial document that

INTRODUCTION


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profoundly contributed to achieve

many important results, promoting the

service of charity as one of the core

missions of the Catholic Church.

In the year that marks the 10th anni-

versary of its promulgation, the Pon-

tifical Council Cor Unum, with the en-

couragement of Pope Francis, has

therefore organized the International

Congress “Love never fails” (1 Cor 13:8).

Perspectives 10 years after the Encyc-

lical Deus Caritas Est, which took place

at the Vatican City, New Synod Hall on

February 25-26, 2016, year of the Jubi-

lee of Mercy.

We are glad to present you the Acts of

this International Congress that testified

the participation of representatives of the

Episcopal Conferences, charitable organ-

izations, the Roman Curia, as well as Am-

bassadors accredited to the Holy See.

The Congress, besides being a great

moment of ecclesial communion- in

particular thanks to the words of the

Pope- emphasized the relevance of

the message of the Encyclical Deus

Caritas Est.

The several contributions highlighted,

from different points of view, how this

papal document is still a valid bench-

mark for the Church’s ministry of chari-

ty, by which millions of people are uni-

versally reached, and thanks to which

the Church offers a great testimony of

God’s love for man.

In thanking the participants and all

those who contributed to the realiza-

tion of the Congress, we are glad to

offer these Acts so that they may take

on a new life in the individual ambits of

work in which we carry out our service

for the people.

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THE ENCYCLICAL DEUS CARITAS EST: PERSPECTIVES FOR A THEOLOGY OF CHARITY

Prof. Rainer Gehrig

Introduction

A little over ten years ago I was here,

among the participants in the Interna-

tional Conference on Charity (January

2006), animated by great curiosity,

waiting for the first encyclical of Pope

Benedict XVI, which, in addition, was

precisely on charity. For those who

follow this theme, the document con-

stituted recognition and necessary

guidance, for the theology of charity

had long been unaddressed in terms

of a reflection by papal Magisterium

(Pompey, 2007, p. 20). Right before the

publication of the Encyclical, during

the audience the Pope gave us a clear

message, proposing an introduction

and guidance to the understanding of

his document: “in this Encyclical, the

themes ‘God’, ‘Christ’ and ‘Love’ are

fused together as the central guide

of the Christian faith” (Benedict XVI,

2006b). The answers in the theolog-

ical context were many, whereby the

encyclical was defined as a “catalyst

for the subsequent development of

the theology of charity” (Baumann,

2014, p.111), “an inspired theological

program for a renewed practice of the

Church” (Pompey, 2007, p.9). Although

the Holy Father’s aim was not to iden-

tify, in this document, the frame of

reference of the theology of charity in

terms of a theological science, it does

contain some basic perspectives.

Along with the subsequent encyclical,

Caritas in Veritate, 2009, charity in truth

became, from that moment on, a cen-

tral doctrine for the development of a

theological foundation of the charita-

ble service of the Church. I will here-

by present several reflections, without

attempting to provide an exhaustive

dissertation, i.e. not to be considered

as a regulatory framework for the de-

velopment of a theology of charity

but rather as a proposal for a dialogue

among the coordinators of social and


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charitable service and its workers. My

goal is to prompt a more systematic

reflection, engrained and practiced in

the realms of theological education

and formation, with special emphasis

on the charitable action of the Church

and her structures.

1. How should we conceive a theolo-

gy of charity today?

In his first Encyclical Benedict XVI

identified a key-element to answer this

question, raised by Church magiste-

rium. The theological understanding

of charity revolves around the theolo-

gical and anthropological dimensions

of love, which the Pope addresses

with thorough philosophical, biblical

and theological discourse. It is neces-

sary to reaffirm this centrality today, for

the theology of charity is being que-

stioned in various environments, some

of which I shall hereby refer to.

1.1. Targets of a developing discipline

The traditional compendiums on the

theology of charity, such as that by

Royo Marín (1963) present the cha-

racterising traits of theological virtues

from the Thomistic perspective of

morality as love of God, love of self

and love of neighbour, each presen-

ted according to the known criteria of

general and specific moral principles,

characterised by a systematic classifi-

cation of the practice of charity in wor-

ks of mercy, of positive aspects, and of

the elements that hinder this love. All

explanations are addressed to a Chri-

stian, observant readership expecting

systematic theological guidance. So-

ciety is presented as the recipient of

charity, in terms of its social dimen-

sion. Systematic clarity is centered on

the individual and on his effort to grow

in the virtue of charity, expounding on

the What, When and How Much in the

practice of charity, but failing to delve

into the accompaniment of a needy

person, on how to make concrete use

of faith in charitable activity, how to or-

ganize communities for action, how a

charitable structure should be organi-

zed, and how to address the causes of

structural impoverishment and injusti-

ce in our globalised world. Before this

traditional moral explanation, still in

use to spell out the theological featu-

res of Christian diakonia (Oriol Tataret,

2000, pp. 208-243) at the end of the

19th century there arose the need for a

reflection on organized charitable acti-

vity against the backdrop of industria-

lised societies, of a dawning welfare

state, of a more systematic organiza-

tion of social and economic sectors,

of an analysis of the social realm with

the adoption of empirical instruments,

along with the need to professionalise

social service. Given this situation of

globalized modernity, there also aro-

se the need for training and reflection,

which in Germany, in the early 20th

century, led to the establishment of

dedicated Centres for Studies on Cha-

rity and related academic education,

along with a coordination of charitable

activities, first at national level (1897)

and then at diocesan level, that took

the name of Caritas. In this context the

theology of charity is articulated as:

“a science of charity that deals with

the respective Christian virtues, in so

far as it is revealed in Christian com-

munity life, understood as freedom of

expression based on the conscience

and will of the community inspired by

the supernatural realm, in the free, ur-

gent support to the community (emer-

gency), which arises from strength and

motivation from the supernatural love

of God.” (Keller, 1925, p.45, unofficial

translation)

As a practical science, this theology

avails itself of various auxiliary scienc-

es (human sciences), it carries out an

historical survey of charitable activity

analyzing organized practice in sup-

port of various groups of people in

state of need, in the framework of co-

operation with the welfare state and

other social agents. As regards the

individual moral approach, it is note-

worthy highlighting the “communi-

tarian” aspect and “free intervention”

in the given circumstances (welfare

state and conciliation based on the

principle of subsidiarity). On the basis

of the experiences and conditions of

the German academic realm, the the-

ology of charity evolved in the direc-

tion of a science of charity recognized

as a separate discipline, as occurred

with the social doctrine of the Church,

in academic departments of Theolo-

gy, notably after the Second Vatican

Council. Comparing various defini-

tions of the theology of charity (Pom-

pey, 1997, 1999, 2001; Haslinger, 2004,

2009; Hilpert, 1997) makes it possible

to summarize a set of common points

shared by the same authors:

All authors agree that the theolo-

gy of charity/science of charity is a

theological discipline with a specif-

ic role.

It falls in the area of practical

sciences, the science of action.

The field of study and research

is the practice of charity by the

Church.

It dialogues with other social and

human sciences.

Research includes the empirical

and theoretical analysis of relevant

contents of faith and tradition in in-

dividual, communitarian practice of

charity and related organised forms.

In Latin America and in the Caribbean,

the growing awareness of a particular

economic, political social and cultural

reality, expressed and shared in the fi-

nal documents of the General Confer-

ences of the Latin-American Episco-

pate, starting from the one held in Me-

dellín (1968), in Puebla (1979) until the

latest held in Aparecida (2007), creat-

ed a new dynamics in the enunciation

of the theology of charity. Cognizant

of the irruption of the poor as a fun-

damental factor, such theology was

restored within the context of merci-


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ful love, and also re-understood on

the basis of its peculiar methodology

(Scannone, 2000, p.358ff.): intellectus

amoris (Sobrino, 1992, p.47ff.). I hereby

propose that similar analyses and re-

flections be carried out for Africa and

Asia, with the purpose of providing a

detailed picture on the evolution of

the theology of charity in the context

of these two continents.

1.2. Present difficulties in addressing the

theme of charity

In the contemporary world the the-

ology of charity is faced with various

challenges. Pope Benedict XVI men-

tioned some of them, starting from the

difficulties inscribed in the terms love/

charity in contemporary societies (DCE

2): the impoverishment of the term

makes it necessary to clarify the rich-

ness of the concept so as to include

human life and the practice of charity.

Further difficulties are linked to cur-

rent criteria pertaining to the various

social fields, which influence the typ-

ical realm of diakonia, that can be de-

scribed via a systemic model (Starnitz-

ke, 1996), whereby other systems such

as: law (just/unjust), the economy (to

pay/not to pay), medicine (patient/

healthy), science (true/false), politics

(to rule /not to rule) etc. through their

specific logics and functions could

question or marginalize the logics at

the service of charity such as: bestow-

al, gratuitousness and sharing, under-

stood not as mutual exchanges but as

expressions of God’s merciful love in

a community of love. In Deus Caritas

Est, Pope Benedict focuses primar-

ily on the political realm (DCE 26-29),

criticising the “activism and [...] secu-

larism of many Christians”” (DCE 37)

engaged in charitable activity, under-

lining widespread contempt for prayer,

which, instead, is the propelling force

of charitable engagement. In the En-

cyclical Caritas in Veritate, the Holy

Father provides a detailed account

of the economic, social and cultural

rationale highlighting the need to re-

cover that of charity as an antidote and

as a project of transformation for the

good of society. A specific form of pro-

fessional ethics and a methodology

of work in the area of social sciences,

have developed in the area of social

service entailing at the same time the

creation of an interpretative context, a

specific form of hermeneutics distin-

guished from the moral and religious

reference points of others (Luhmann,

1973). This autonomy is not negative

in itself, however it has a secularizing

effect when presented as having over-

come moral and religious models. It is

questioned whether the theology of

charity is a necessary contribution for

the understanding of charitable ac-

tivity, especially owing to the global

dimensions of structural situations of

injustice. It should also be noted that

social services focus on programmed

interventions, problem-resolution, ad-

ministration of specific cases and dis-

connection from vital, communitarian

environments. Articulating theology in

the framework of professional social

service meets the challenge of justify-

ing the added value of theology in the

field of social engagement (Doležel,

2012; Krockauer; Bohlen & Lehner,

2006; Scales & Kelly, 2012; Singe,

2006), namely, to propose theology as

the necessary science of reference that

enriches professional social service.

The main feature of this theology is its

Christian nature, which presupposes

its development as a science (integra-

tion of reason), its being a frame of ref-

erence for social service (practical, fo-

cus on theory to be applied in practical

action, models of practices, methods,

etc.) with a contextualized approach

(existential, social situation and expe-

riences in the area of social services),

fundamental and charitable in nature

(mercy and justice) along with a theol-

ogy for practical pastoral care (Lech-

ner, 2000, pp.219ff.).

1.3. “Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty”- the

limited number of areas for reflection,

research and for the teaching of the

theology of charity

With regard to Germany, France, It-

aly, and Spain, authors such as

Baumgartner (2002), Hermanns (1997),

Haslinger (2009) and Gehrig (2015)

have conveyed their concerns over

the low number of centres for the

teaching, research and reflection on

the theology of charity in University

Departments of Theology. Far from

being a compulsory subject in theolo-


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gy academic curricula, it is reduced to

mere professorships or even absent in

study plans. The roles as the “Cinder-

ella” of theology, or even of the “Sleep-

ing Beauty” certainly do not befit a fun-

damental dimension of the Church. By

means of the prospects I shall hereby

present I hope to arouse interest in

promoting the right to citizenship of

the theology of charity, renewed by

contributions of papal Magisterium.

1.4. The plurality of the theological

foundations of charity or diakonia

The practice of charity, or diakonia,

currently features a plurality of theo-

logical foundations, depending on the

confessional traditions and approach-

es of the authors (cf. Rüegger, H. & Si-

grist, C., 2014). In the Catholic world, it

is important to enter into dialogue with

these foundations to understand their

points of contact, the differences, and

work towards a practical theological

proposal of faith working through love

(Gal 5:6). Reflection on the theological

foundation of charitable activity can

constitute a challenge to be shared by

the theology of charity and the social

doctrine of the Church, as evidenced

in various meetings held here in Rome

over the last years (Dal Toso & Schal-

lenberg, 2014 y 2015; Schallenberg &

Dal Toso, 2016), but also in other plac-

es (Glatzel, and Pompey, 1991; Marx,

1999). Although it is not relevant here,

it should be said that also the social

encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI rep-

resent a challenge to the Church’s so-

cial doctrine in terms of the concept

“caritas in veritate in re sociali”(CiV 5),

proclamation of the truth of the love

of Christ in society (Roos, 2015, p.13),

epistemological expression that com-

pletes the duplex ordo cognitionis (nat-

ural law and revelation, Nothelle-Wild-

feuer, 1991) with a triplex ordo, that

recognizes in love a principle for the-

ological knowledge (Rubio de Urquía

& Pérez-Soba, 2014; Pérez-Soba, 2014).

The encyclical Deus Caritas Est thus

answers the questions regarding the

theological foundations of charity with

a set of strategic guidelines:

a) to preserve the unity of divine and

human love (eros/agape) as a pillar

of the service of charity (DCE 3-11)

b) to carry out charitable activity root-

ed in Christology (DCE 12-18)

c) to propose the distinctiveness of ec-

clesial charity e (DCE 25; 31ff.)

Ritorneremo in seguito su queste linee

per un ulteriore approfondimento.

2. Theological foundations of love:

re-evaluating “Love” for a theological

and practical reflection on diakonia

The first perspective for a theology of

charity starting from Deus Caritas Est

entails analyzing, describing and un-

derstanding the features of Christian

love within its theological, anthropo-

logical and practical dimensions. In

practice, this perspective has special

importance within diaconal charity, in

terms of organized Christian love.

2.1 Love: conceptual hermeneutic per-

spective for the theology of charity

(DCE 3-11)

The hermeneutic perspective of the

encyclical compels us to reflect, to re-

cover and reassess especially the se-

mantic field of ‘”love” from a theolog-

ical perspective, in constant dialogue

with its meaning according to different

cultures, religions and languages to-

day (DCE 2). This hermeneutic based

on faith, in search for, according to

Benedict XVI, the unity of ‘”love”, would

enable both a better understanding

of the centre of human life as well as

the essence of the Trinitarian God.

The theology of charity is not possi-

ble without this intellectual effort to

deeply understand the interrelation-

ship between the different dimensions

of human love from a theological per-

spective, based on the faith inscribed

in the patrimony of the Scriptures and

its translation in present experiences.

The experiences of faith of the first

Christians, rooted in Biblical tradition,

constitute the starting point, thereby

creating a new semantic field of agape

to express shared love, received from

God in the figure of Christ through the

Holy Spirit, a love that creates com-

munity and which transforms individ-

ual and social existence. In this her-

meneutic perspective, the theology

of charity must enter into dialogue

with the reflections and contribu-

tions of philosophy (Hildebrand, 1971;

Kuhn, 1975; Lotz, 1979; Pieper, 1972),

but also of Protestant theology (eg

Jeanrond, 2010; Knauber, 2006; Stock,

2000; Wischmeyer, 2015), psychology

(Fromm, 1967; Sternberg, 1989) and

sociology (Beck & Beck-Gernsheim,

2001; Kuchler & Beher, 2014; Luhmann,

1982), although it focuses on the the-

ological approach and the connection

with the practice of charity. The En-

cyclical contributes to this task em-

phasizing the ability to love ingrained

in human nature itself, a task that has

its own importance particularly in light

of tendencies to replace the word

“love” with “solidarity” or “justice” in the

framework of social engagement and

ethics.

2.2 Charitable activity rooted in Chri-

stology

In the Encyclical there are many Chri-

stological connections between natu-

ral and supernatural love and the ec-

clesial practice of charity. Indeed, the

commandment of love of neighbour

is inscribed in the very nature of man,

created in the image and likeness of

God (DCE 31). Such creationist anthro-

pological perspective supports open-

ness towards collaboration with other

actors: the presence of Jesus in the

poor, His identification with them (Mt

25:40) merges in Jesus the love of God

and neighbour (DCE 15).

In Christ we understand our humili-

ty in the service, which culminates

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present in my gift” (DCE 34). From the

intimate encounter with God I learn to

see neighbour from the perspective

of Jesus Christ (DCE 18). The Pope is

aware that such a radical form of love

for neighbour requires a spiritual nou-

rishment, a vital relationship with the

other two ecclesial dimensions such

as leiturgia and martyria, and entails

the inclusion of spirituality understo-

od as the perspective of the theology

of charity. According to experts on the

theology of Joseph Ratzinger as Men-

ke, for the Pope it was important to fol-

low the work and the logic of Dominus

Jesus, to combine love, eros and cha-

rity with Christology:

“Ecclesial charity, along with the char-

itable activity of every Christian, must

be understood primarily as participa-

tion in the love of the crucified Saviour,

or better, as inclusion in its representa-

tion (representatio Christi). If we un-

derstood assistance as the exercise,

consequence or imitation of the love

of Christ, then we would be left with a

political or ideological agenda to im-

prove the living conditions of a culture

or humanity at large” (Menke, 2008,

p.57 – unofficial translation).

The creation of a specific Communi-

ty ethos, internal fraternity, entails the

extension of the Church’s constituent

mission ad extra as included in rep-

resentatio Christi. This Christological

approach enables to better under-

stand, in the second part of the encyc-

lical, the importance of the Church as a

community of love where there should

be no poverty (DCE 20), along with the

criticism of proselytism. Koch’s pub-

lications in 2010 and 2012 complete

the Christological analysis present in

the Encyclical: “In charitable organiza-

tions, God and Christ must not be for-

eign words; in reality, they indicate the

original source of ecclesial charity. The

strength of Caritas depends on the

strength of the faith of all the mem-

bers and collaborators.” (Benedict XVI,

2006b).

Such Christological rootedness can-

not be fully understood without con-

sidering its foundation in the Holy

Trinity. The Encyclical mentions this

foundation only at the beginning as a

theological foundation, and in DCE 19

it is used as reference for the Church’s

charitable activity. The reasons fo-

cus on the pneumatological reality

whence arises ecclesial love as a di-

mension ad intra (community unity)

and ad extra (service to the needy).

There remains a broader explanation

of the importance of this foundation

for the practice of charity and theolog-

ical reflection on charity.

2.3 The distinctiveness of the Church’s

charitable activity (DCE 31ff.)

In this section the theological objec-

tive focuses on specific features of

charitable intervention in charity or-

ganizations of the Church as opus

proprium (DCE 29ff.). In the previous

section I mentioned the independent

profile of charitable intervention in re-

lation to the State. In this respect the

Pope emphasizes the danger of con-

tending to solve all the problems of

the world. While it is understandable

that, especially in Countries with very

weak or very corrupt governments,

the Church seems to be the only area

for the promotion of social develop-

ment, with the risk that our structures

may turn into development ministries,

we should carefully weigh the pros

and cons, reflect on the position of the

Church in this situation, considering

existing alternatives and how to pre-

serve ecclesial identity.

To Agape who is God, described in the

first part of the encyclical, must corre-

spond the agape of the Church, that is

part of her nature (DCE 25) expressed

in her three-fold responsibility (keryg-

ma-martyria, leiturgia and diakonia).

The Pope goes a step further, pointing

out that the whole Church – thus not

only charitable activity - must be con-

ceived as a place and a relationship

based on agape (sacraments, words,

evangelization, organization, etc.). The

Church herself is its object, from the

particular Churches to the universal

Church (DCE 32). Indications on the ec-

clesial structure of the service, under

the responsibility of the Bishop in the

particular Churches, correspond pre-

cisely to the ecclesiality of love, most

deeply fulfilled in the Motu Proprio In-

tima Ecclesiae natura (2012). This initial

approach can be summarized as the

institutional responsibility to live as an

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as the Body of Christ, sacrament of

love and mercy. The following charac-

teristics will bring us closer to the un-

derstanding of charitable practice.

3. How should love be lived?

The theology of charity is not limited

to the theoretical description of the

fundamental aspects of charity as di-

vine love. In fact, it is challenged by

the practical question on how to live

this love in today’s world, in our Chris-

tian life, in our service of charity and in

the communities of love.

3.1 The historical perspective of the the-

ology of charity

Paragraphs 20 to 26 of the Encyclical

Deus Caritas Est present a brief over-

view on the historical roots of ecclesial

charitable activity, which shows that

the theology of charity can and must

draw on the historical tradition of the

Church, thereby keeping alive the rich

tradition of charitable practice. This

multifarious tradition signals the crea-

tive capacity to reinvent ecclesial love,

the permanent force that the Holy

Spirit bestows upon us in times of per-

secution, abandonment, human and

world crises. Interestingly, in the early

20th century, with the re-establishment

of the theology of charity in Germany,

marked by dawning industrialization

and welfare state, one of the program-

matic pillars of the new discipline was

research on the historical heritage of

Christian charitable tradition, notably

of the Catholic Church. Given this 19th

and 20th heritage, enriched by its pub-

lications, today we have the responsi-

bility to continue to expand that wealth

of knowledge with updated achieve-

ments and with recent progress in the

realm of historical sciences, in order to

keep alive this historical conscience,

along with its importance for current

practice.

3.2 Compassionate perspective of cha-

ritable activity starting from the unity of

love (Eros+Agape)

The unity of eros/agape (DCE 5 and 6),

strongly promoted by Pope Benedict

XVI, must be a feature of the specific

profile of ecclesial creative diakonia

(Pompey, 2006; 2007, pp.56ff.). Indeed,

charitable intervention should include

Eros, in addition to reason and to pro-

fessional competence. This eros was

present already in the biblical pas-

sages describing a God who loves his

people (DCE 11), profoundly moved.

“The eros of God is not only a primordi-

al cosmic power; it is love that created

man and that bows down over him, as

the Good Samaritan bent down to the

wounded and robbed man, lying on

the side of the road that went down

from Jerusalem to Jericho.” (Benedict

XVI, 2006b). In Jesus Christ, this divine

love becomes oblative love. This offer-

ing is celebrated and is present in the

Eucharist, Sacramentum Caritatis. The

Eucharistic transformation leads to the

mission of charitable intervention un-

derstood as interpersonal transforma-

tion that gives continuity to the obla-

tion of Christ. Eros/agape unity makes

the relationships in the Spirit dynam-

ic. In fact, the poor don’t only ask for

guidelines (content), material support,

or technically appropriate attention.

They want a personal, emotional and

physical (miseri cor dare) relationship

(DCE 34): do you believe in my pos-

sibilities? Ours is a relational charita-

ble faith in Jesus Christ and the con-

tents of faith can be understood only

through this relationship of charitable

love (Pompey, 2006, p.119).

3.3 The formation of the heart – charity’s

dimension of witness (DCE 31; 36ff.)

The Pope mentions as the second

feature the response to immediate

needs, the urgency and need to prac-

tice charity with professional compe-

tence and training (DCE 31a). At the

same time, the document underlines

the need for a formation of the heart

– I believe it is precisely this second

part that the Pope intends to high-

light, whereby the theology of chari-

ty plays an important role in training

programs for workers in terms of per-

sonal growth and to grow in the faith,

that they may live the encounter with

God in Christ, which enables them to

witness the love of God in those re-

lationships of service in an authentic

way, thus neither imposed nor artifi-

cial. The formation of the heart should

not be understood as a communica-

tion technique but as a personal pres-

ence motivated by faith. Spiritual for-

mation and spiritual life in charitable

relations, the practice of faith in the

community of love nourished from its

source, create a culture of witness of

the merciful love of God, its gratuitous

and personal nature.

We need research, formation of train-

ers, accompanying processes, shared

spaces, resources and time destined

to this task in order to better experi-

ence the love of Christ that compels

us (2 Cor 5:14). In a society that is dis-

tant from the Church but where, at the

same time, we maintain a vast network

of charitable services, we are lacking

a sufficient number of people eager to

collaborate in these experiences and

to this culture of love. It is thus equally

important to create areas for gradual

evangelization within our structures,

in full respect of individual freedom,

yet always proposing who we are and

what we share.

In this prolusion could not be missing,

as an integral part of this living herit-

age, examples of the saints of chari-

ty, and especially Mary, Mother of the

Lord (DCE 40-42). However, more than

a simple historical memory, the Saints

accompany us spiritually, we can share

their life, whence flow sources of inspi-

ration, whence lasting organisms are

created, renewed charismas, such as

the Society of Saint Vincenzo de Paoli,

whose charitable family dates back to

the seventeenth century.

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3.4 Ecumenical openness in the theolo-

gical dialogue on charitable intervention

The Encyclical had a great resonance

in the various confessions and it reaf-

firmed ongoing openness and cooper-

ation in this field, in which we share, in

the Christian religion, a common Chris-

tological and biblical heritage, even

on ecclesiological matters (Pompey,

2006, p.113; Pompey, 2007 pp.143ff.).

The Pope invites to this ecumenical

openness towards the Protestant di-

akonia and the Orthodox philanthropy,

not only at inter-confessional level, but

also by creating interfaith bridges on

the theme of compassion and love. In

this regard, shared research projects,

conferences, concrete collaboration at

local level, and international coopera-

tion projects, are of great importance.

4. The theology of charity as a distin-

ctive theological science

With different gestures, the papacy of

Benedict XVI, and the present one of

Pope Francis embody the centrality of

love in Christian life and in the evan-

gelizing mission of the Church today.

This shift towards the heart of the Chri-

stian faith involves a practical effort of

witness and an integral synthesis of

ecclesial identity in the interrelation

between leiturgia, martyria and diako-

nia for our time. The deep reflection

of the Encyclical on the relationship

between justice and charity (DCE 26-

29) serves not only to understand the

interrelationship between justice and

charity or to safeguard religious free-

dom in independent charitable acti-

vity. It also helps to carry out discern-

ment between the Church’s mission to

establish a just order through the gui-

dance of consciences by means of the

principles expressed in Church Social

Doctrine, and the obligations of State

and the political realm.

The lay faithful engaged in society de-

serve a central role in this field, guided

by the principles of CSD (practice of

justice), but for the Church there re-

mains above all the service of charity

in the community of love as opus pro-

prium, with its specific characteristics

as seen in the previous chapters. In my

view, this expression of the Church’s

deepest nature, also requires a dedi-

cated environment for reflection, rese-

arch, training and orientation, so that

the Church, in her Caritas and other

ecclesial organisms for charitable en-

gagement may:

a) offer an effective response to the

need for a formation of the heart of

its members (DC 31a), in the context

of an organized service in a com-

plex society with various actors.

b) constantly improve organized ser-

vice and the witness that it implies.

c) establish a dialogue on scientific

grounds with other human scienc-

es, focused on charitable interven-

tion and its coordination.

d) foster the development of a specif-

ic scientific approach (love under-

stood as epistemological principle).

e) ensure methodical feedback on the

theology and on the Church on the

basis of practical experience.

f) achieve greater interdisciplinary co-

operation within theological disci-

plines on charity and love.

I shall hereby detail the distinctive el-

ements of this discipline with the fol-

lowing diagram, based on reflections

contained in the Encyclical Deus Cari-

tasEst and on the contributions of col-

leagues from Freiburg and Olomouc.

In this conceptual chart the theology

of charity is meant to facilitate the the-

ological foundation of the practice of

charity in truth, starting from the reve-

lation of the Trinitarian God as a com-

munity of love. The central theological

contributions to this ministry (system-

atic theology) and philosophy further

support conceptual understanding in

its connection with anthropology. This

part will provide the theological foun-

dations for the service of charity in the

communities of love.

The diagram continues with a dou-

ble-linked development: existential

and ethical dimensions with respective

sciences and functions, which include

various scientific foundations. The dif-

ferent tasks are to maintain: an interdis-

ciplinary, thriving theological dialogue

with other human and social sciences

on the essence of love / charity; its

role as a theological ambit; its scope as

a transforming energy, at individual lev-

el and in the community alike; its epis-

temological capacity ad intra (for the

faith and the ecclesial reality), but also

ad extra, in social analysis.

The diagram then tackles the plane of

the objectives in its two complementa-

ry dimensions, that are embodied also

in biblical expression and experience,

as well as in Christian charitable activ-

ity, which, at the same time, respond to

an integral anthropological vision.

The diagram mainly reflects the inter-

disciplinary nature of the theology of

charity, which is not limited only to as-

pects of theological rootedness: start-

ing from this theoretical corpus, the

point of arrival is the analysis of con-

crete practice in organisms coupled

by critical reflection and a joint elabo-

ration of best practices so that the ser-

vice of charity may increasingly be au-

thentic witness of the love of God.


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Diagram 1: Conceptual table of the Theology of Charity REVELATION OF GOD AS A TRINITARIAN COMMUNITY OF LOVE IN JESUS CHRIST

THEOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY (REFLECTION AND TEACHINGS ON GOD)INCARNATED ANTHROPOLOGY (TEACHINGS ON MANKIND)

FUNDAMENTALS OF THE SERVICE OF LOVE IN THE COMMUNITY OF LOVE

Existential/Ontological Dimensions of Charitable Service

Ethical Dimensions of Charitable Service

Practical Caritas- Theology

Human Sciences Individual-Ethics Social-Ethics

Constitutive function Support function Guidance function Accompanying function

Spiritual-existential support and healing

Physical-medical, psychological,

social-material helping and healing

Personal Moral GuidanceStructural Improvement of

Living Conditions

Love in Truth - via maestra of the theology for the Service and Community of LovePower of Love

Fondamenti scientificiDogmatics, Spirituality,

Pastoral, Missiology

Scientific Fundamentals Natural and Social

Sciences (Medicine, Psychology, Pedagogy,

Social Services, etc.).

Scientific Fundamentals Moral Theology,

especially Virtue Ethics

Scientific Fundamentals CST and Social Morals

(Social Encyclicals)

ObjectiveMediation and Renewal of Strength to live, life

energy, courage and motivation

Sense of Life, concepts of life, perspectives on life

Support through Experienced faith Practice of Hope and Lovein face-to-face relationships or“Communities of love” in parishes through Sharing Life, Sharing Suffering and Sharing Faith.

ObjectiveRestoration and preservation of life essentials in its various dimensionsbodied, cognitive, psychical, social, material, political.

ObjectiveMicro-systemic preservation of the ethical limits in the field of charitable services and in the beneficiary’s way of life: Do not lie, Do not cheat, Do not exploit, Do not abuse, Do not destroy

ObjectiveMacro-systemic social principles for the way of life Common GoodSolidarity Subsidiarity Sustainability Order of life and

preservation of thephysical, biologic, social, economic and political Living Conditions.

Biblical orientationsSpiritual Works of Mercy and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the “Hymn to

Love” (1Cor 13)

Biblical orientationsCorporal Works of

Mercy, the Speech on the Final Judgement

(Mt 25,31-46), the Good Samaritan

(Lc 10,25-37)

Biblical orientationsDecalogue

Biblical orientationsThe Beatitudes in the

Sermon of the Mount (Mt 5,3-12)

PRACTICE OF THE MINISTRY OF CHARITY IN THE COMMUNITY OF LOVE

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